Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Changes in Relative Abundance of Microbial Groups Involved in Nitrogen Removal in the Anammox‒Partial Nitrification Reactor System at Increase in Ammonium Nitrogen and COD Load

  • EXPERIMENTAL ARTICLES
  • Published:
Microbiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract—

This is the study of efficiency of anaerobic reject water treatment and of changes in the relative abundance of the major microbial groups involved in nitrogen removal at increase in nitrogen and COD (chemical oxygen demand) load. A two-reactor laboratory system carried out anammox and partial nitrification, with the biomass immobilized on a brush carrier and water recycling. Nitrogen concentration in the water varied from 50 to 250 mg N-NH4/L, while COD varied from 50 to 1650 mg О2/L. Efficiency of the process was assessed by monitoring the concentrations of N-NH4, N-NO2, N-NO3, COD, dissolved oxygen, and pH in the inflowing and treated sludge liquor. The efficiency of nitrogen removal was 75‒90%. Active development of anammox bacteria and first step nitrifiers was observed in the anammox reactor, while almost no second step nitrifiers were present. Elevated content of organic matter in sludge liquor was shown to cause a significant decrease in the water purification degree due to lower abundance of anammox bacteria and the first step nitrifying Nitrosomonas species, while the abundance of the second step nitrifying Nitrospira species increased. The major microbial groups involved in nitrogen removal were better represented in biofilms than in free-floating sludge (flocs and granules). While the size of the granules and flocs did not change at increased load, their color changed from gray-red to a darker one.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 3.

Similar content being viewed by others

Explore related subjects

Discover the latest articles, news and stories from top researchers in related subjects.

REFERENCES

  1. Botchkova, E A., Litti, Yu.V., Novikov, A.A., Grouzdev, D.S., Bochkareva, E.S., Beskorovayny, A.V., Kuznetsov, B.B., and Nozhevnikova, A.N., Description of “Candidatus Jettenia ecosi” sp. nov., a new species of anammox bacteria, Microbiology, (Moscow). 2018, vol. 87, pp. 766–776.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  2. Cao, Y., Kwok, B., van Loosdrecht, M., Daigger, G., Png, H., Long, W., and Chye, C. The occurrence of enhanced biological phosphorus removal in a 200,000 m3/day partial nitration and Anammox activated sludge process at the Changi water reclamation plant, Singapore, Water Sci. Technol., 2017, vol. 75, pp. 741‒751.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Dai, F., Celant De Práb, M., Vanottic, M., Gilmored, K., and Cumbiea, W., Microbial characteristics of nitrifiers, denitrifiers and anammox bacteria on different support media to treat space mission wastewater, J. Environ. Manage, 2019, vol. 232, pp. 943–951.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Daims, H., Nielsen, J., Nielsen, P., Schleifer, K., and Wagner, M., In situ characterization of Nitrospira-like nitrite-oxidizing bacteria active in wastewater treatment plants, Ap-pl. Microbiol., 2001, vol. 67, pp. 5273–5284.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Du, R., Peng, Y., Cao, S., Wu, C., Weng, D., Wang, S., and He, J., Advanced nitrogen removal with simultaneous Anammox and denitrification in sequencing batch reactor, Bioresour. Technol., 2014, vol. 162, pp. 316‒322.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Fang, Q., Xu, W., Xia, G., and Pan, Z., Effect of C/N ratio on the removal of nitrogen and microbial characteristics in the water saturated denitrifying section of a two-stage constructed rapid infiltration system, Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, 2018, vol. 7. pii: E1469. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15071469

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Gujer, W., Henze, M., Mino, T., and van Loosdrecht, M., Activated sludge model No. 3, Water Sci. Technol., 1999, vol. 39, pp. 183–193.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Guo, J., Peng, Y., Fan, L., Zhang, L., Ni, B.J., Kartal, B., Feng, X., Jetten, M.S., and Yuan, Z., Metagenomic analysis of anammox communities in three different microbial aggregates, Environ. Microbiol., 2016, vol. 18, pp. 2979–2993.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Kalyuzhnyi, S. and Gladchenko, M. DEAMOX—new microbiological process of nitrogen removal from strong nitrogenous wastewater, Desalination, 2009, vol. 248, pp. 783–793.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Litti, Iu., Nekrasova, V., Kulikov, N., Siman’kova, V., and Nozhevnikova, A., Detection of anaerobic processes and microorganisms in immobilized activated sludge of a wastewater treatment plant with intense aeration, Microbiology (Moscow), 2013, vol. 82, pp. 690–697.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Mardanov, A., Beletskii, A., Kallistova, A., Kotlyarov, R., Nikolaev, Y., Kevbrina, M., Agarev, A., Ravin, N., and Pimenov, N., Dynamics of the composition of a microbial consortium during start-up of a single-stage constant flow laboratory nitritation/anammox setup, Microbiology (Moscow), 2016, vol. 85, p. 681–692.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Mattei, M.R., Frunzo, L., D’Acunto, B., Esposito, G., and Pirozzi, F., Modelling microbial population dynamics in multispecies biofilms including Anammox bacteria, Ecol. Modell., 2015, vol. 304, pp. 44–58.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Ni, B., Ruscalleda, M., and Smets, B., Evaluation on the microbial interactions of anaerobic ammonium oxidizers and heterotrophs in Anammox biofilm, Water Res., 2012, vol. 46, pp. 4645–4652.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Nozhevnikova, A., Litty, Y., and Zubov, M., Biotechnology of wastewater treatment with the effective removal of nitrogen due to the participation of anammox-bacteria, developed for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Ecol.Engin. Environ. Protect., 2015, vol. 2, pp. 24–29.

    Google Scholar 

  15. Nozhevnikova, A.N., Litti, Yu.V., Bochkova, E.A., Zubov, M.G., and Zubov, G.M., Anannoks-bakterii v pripode i ekobiologii (Anammox Bacteria in Nature and Ecological Biology), Nozhevnikova, A.N., Ed., Moscow: Univ. Kniga, 2017.

    Google Scholar 

  16. Nozhevnikova, A.N., Litti, Y.V., Nekrasova, V.K., Kulichevskaya, I.S., Grigoryeva, N.V., Kulikov, N.I., and Zubov, M.G., Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (Anammox) in immobilized activated sludge biofilms during the treatment of weak wastewater, Microbiology (Moscow), 2012, vol. 81, pp. 25‒34.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Nozhevnikova, A., Zubov, M., Litti, Y., Botchkova, E., Russkova, Y., and Zubov, G., Development and practical implementation of partial nitrification-anammox technology for full-scale mainstream treatment, Advances in Environmental Research, Nova Science, 2019, pp. 1–68.

  18. Pérez, J., Lotti, T., Kleerebezem, R., Picioreanu, C., and van Loosdrecht, M., Outcompeting nitrite-oxidizing bacteria in single stage nitrogen removal in sewage treatment plants: a model-based study, Water Res., 2014, vol. 66, pp. 208–218.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Pochemu ersh rabotaet (Why Does the Brush Work?). https://www.ecosgroup.com/press/articles/pochemu-ersh-rabota-et/.

  20. Schmid, M., Walsh, K., Webb, R., Rijpstra, W., van de Pas Schoonen, K., Verbruggen, M., Hill, T., Moffett, B., Fuerst, J., Schouten, S., Damsté, J., Harris, J., Shaw, P., Jetten, M., and Strous, M., Candidatus “Scalindua brodae,” sp. nov., Candidatus “Scalindua wagneri,” sp. nov., two new species of anaerobic ammonium oxidizing bacteria, Appl. Microbiol., 2003, vol. 26, pp. 529–538.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Speth, D., Zandt, M., Guerrero-Cruz, S., Dutilh, B.E., and Jetten, M.S.M., Genome-based microbial ecology of anammox granules in a full-scale wastewater treatment system, Nat. Commun., 2016, vol. 7, pp. 1–10.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Thorndahl, U., Nitrogen removal from returned liquors, J. IWEM, 1993, vol. 7, pp. 492‒496.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. van Hulle, S.V.H., Vandeweyer, H.J.P., Meesschaert, B.D. Vanrolleghem, P.A., Dejans, P., and Dumoulin, A., Engineering aspects and practical application of autotrophic nitrogen removal from nitrogen rich streams, Chem. Eng. J., 2010, vol. 162, pp. 1–20.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Wagner, M., Rath, G., Amann, R., Koops, H., and Schleifer, K., In situ identification of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria, Appl. Microbiol., 1995, vol. 18, pp. 251–264.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Wang, L., Zheng, P., Xing, Y., Li, W., Yang, J., Abbas, G., Liu, S., He, Z., Zhang, J., Zhang, H., and Lu, H., Effect of particle size on the performance of autotrophic nitrogen removal in the granular sludge bed reactor and microbiological mechanisms, Bioresour. Technol., 2014, vol. 157, pp. 240–246.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Xu, X., Xue, Y., Wang, D., Wang, G., and Yang, F., The development of a reverse anammox sequencing partial nitrification process for simultaneous nitrogen and COD removal from wastewater, Bioresour. Technol., 2014, vol. 155, pp. 427–431.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Zhang, Y., Wang, Y., Yan, Y., Han, H., and Wu, M., Characterization of CANON reactor performance and microbial community shifts with elevated COD/N ratios under a continuous aeration mode, Front. Environ. Sci. Eng., 2019, vol. 13, p. 7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Zubov, M.G., Boyarenev, S.F., Zubov, G.M., Kulikov, N.I., Shramov, Yu.M., Litti, Yu.V., Nekrasova, V.K., and Nozhevnikova, A.N., Biotechnology for wastewater treatment with activated sludge immobilization and nitrogen removal, Vodosnab. Sanit. Tekhn., 2013, no. 8, pp. 72‒75.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Winogradsky Institute of Microbiology, Research Center of Biotechnology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119071, Moscow, Russia

    A. V. Vishnyakova, Yu. V. Litti, E. A. Botchkova, A. A. Ermoshin & A. N. Nozhevnikova

Authors
  1. A. V. Vishnyakova
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Yu. V. Litti
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. E. A. Botchkova
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. A. A. Ermoshin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. A. N. Nozhevnikova
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to A. V. Vishnyakova.

Ethics declarations

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. This article does not contain any studies involving animals or human participants performed by any of the authors.

Additional information

Translated by D. Timchenko

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Vishnyakova, A.V., Litti, Y.V., Botchkova, E.A. et al. Changes in Relative Abundance of Microbial Groups Involved in Nitrogen Removal in the Anammox‒Partial Nitrification Reactor System at Increase in Ammonium Nitrogen and COD Load. Microbiology 89, 205–211 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0026261720020137

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S0026261720020137

Keywords:

Search

Navigation